Winter in the air

With cooler weather coming on, it’s fun to look at past winters and wonder what this one will bring (for the sake of a one word term, I’ll lump fall and winter together under the latter name).  Last winter produced an amazing 4 first state records: Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Pacific Loon, Mountain Plover, and Razorbill.  The winter before was less productive in terms of first state records (only one: Prairie Falcon), but was spectacular in the sheer numbers of rarities, highlighted by a bizarre invasion of Green-tailed Towhees.  That winter also produced second state record Gray Flycatcher and Brewer’s Sparrow.  It was truly a cornucopia, a Blind Pig year when rarities became the norm.   

Looking at this year compared to past years through the end of September, the species counts were as follows:     

2013     358 species

2012     357

2011     365

2010     351

2009       355

By the end of these years, the species counts had climbed from anywhere from 8-16 birds.   

2013     ?

2012     365 

2011     377

2010     367

2009       364

2013 ranks 2^nd highest among the 5 years through September, and it’ll be entertaining to see how high it climbs.  This year has seen one of the nicest batch of rarities ever (the aforementioned Razorbill, plus Iceland Gull, Connecticut Warbler, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, several Black Rails, et cet.), so much so that normally great birds like Townsend’s Warblers, Chestnut-collared Longspur, and Rough-legged Hawk were somewhat eclipsed. 

What will winter 2013 bring?  We’ll see. 

And by the way…some of you wondered about the birds I posted in a recent post.  Here’s a rundown:

Lesser Goldfinches.  They don’t seem like they should be rare, but they are.  The most recent Louisiana record was a bird that spent several months in Sabine Parish in 2011.  It was a lot more colorful than these birds, which might easily escape notice.    

Hooded Oriole.  This would be a nice treat at a hummer feeder on a cold winter day.  Look for the graduated tail feathers, and the longish bill.  In general, any time an oriole shows up in the winter, snap a photo.  

Costa’s Hummingbird.  There aren’t any records for Louisiana, but there should eventually be.  How many poorly seen green and white hummers might have been Costa’s?  Be sure to snap photos of mystery hummers, and pay special attention to the primaries.  Costa's can have tapered wingtips (like a Ruby-throat), but their primaries are all the same width. 

None of these photos were taken in Louisiana, unfortunately.